Jul 1, 2014

It seems that the iPhone 6 will indeed sport a “curved” display, but not in a way you might imagine. Apple isn’t bending the phone outright, but rather giving it a tapering around the edges to achieve a rounder design.

Leaked by Aussie Sonny Dickson, various images showing the glass cover of the iPhone 6 display reveal that Apple is indeed using a tapered design for the front of the device this time around. This marks a departure from the current flat glass used in the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, as well as the former models. The tapering allows the company to achieve a round design across the entire handset, as well as make it appear ultra-thin. The company has used tapering for years to hide the thickest point of its devices, something most evidenced in the iMac line and the iPad tablet computers. The images further show a relocation of the front-facing FaceTime camera. The hole that currently sits atop the earpiece in the iPhone 5/5s/5c will be located to the left side of the speaker in the iPhone 6. The cutout could also be for a sensor, though it seems far too big for anything else but a camera.

So when can we expect to see a full-fledged iPhone 6? Well, if history is any indication, we might not have to wait until the rumored September launch. Mockup artists will probably be the first to create 3D models of the thing based on this new leak. Case manufacturers will soon deliver their own “assembled” mockups by combining these screens with the cases that they’re already producing. And just before the launch we could well see a fully-assembled model leaked, as was the case in 2010 with the infamous iPhone 4 prototype left on a stool by one of Apple’s testers. However, the best bet remains Apple’s launch event in fall. Rumor has it that the iPhone 6 will ship (physically) to stores around September 19.

iPhone 6 will reportedly come in two flavors, one with a screen measuring 4.7 inches on the diagonal, the other with a whopping 5.5-inch display, in what would mark Apple’s first foray into phablet territory. The bigger device is said to use sapphire crystal instead of glass. Sapphire is more durable and scratch-resistant, but also a bit heavier than traditional glass. The bigger version is also expected to cost more than the 4.7-inch model.